Christin's Words from Sunshine Hill

If it is to be music

you must be present to it, must offer to it

a profound self-remembering.

-from Altar Music

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Soul Song and Crutches

Sammie dropped by this afternoon looking lively in her yummy
green Carmel, CA, hoodie that her son, Matt, picked out when she visited him
and Rachel a few weeks past. Among other things, she warned me that if I didn’t
blog soon—preferably before the end of the day—she would be forced to remove my
blog notifications from her Internet alerts.

It isn’t that I haven’t thought
about it. I have been considering titles now for a few weeks. “Slowing Down,” “Mrs.
Four Legs,” “Need a Crutch?” and they all sounded blah. I’m not feeling blah.
But I have slowed down and am told I need to use crutches for a while. No – I didn’t
break a leg. But apparently I have aggravated practically every moving part
associated with my right hip.

John is “driving Ms Christin” back and forth from the physical
therapist. The plan is for me to be able to drive and walk alone again soon.

But my fingers still work. And my head is as clear as can be
expected, and maybe clearer than at some times in my life. So what’s with the
absence from the Sunshine Hill Blog? I think it is my obsession with my latest
project. Probably I’ve mentioned it, but I certainly don’t expect you to research
past blogs to find out (nor do I want to do that). So---it’s a kind of memoir
of my spiritual journey, tentatively titled THE YEARNING. During the time I’ve
been absent from the blog, I’ve finished the first draft of the first
part---about 100 single spaced pages.

The work is challenging. There are parts of my life that
seem to defy understanding. That means I write a scene as I remember it and
then wonder what on earth does it mean within the context of my whole life. It
isn’t lost on me that this is a perfect task to undertake at my age. Erik
Erikson, who was a developmental psychologist, says that people of my age would
be working on the developmental task of Integrity vs. Despair. It is the time
of life for integrating all that came before and being honest about who and
what we are. These are the years when the soul becomes whole even as the body
begins to fail. When people are only aware of their bodily disintegration the
tendency towards despair is strong. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest and
prophet, addressed this recently in his book, FALLING UPWARDS. (Love it!
Recommend it!)

So right now the crutches lean against the wall, waiting for
me to take them up so I can walk into the kitchen to take the bread from the
oven and stir the curried squash and lentil soup. And being oh so grateful that
I can do that, and at the same time still sing my soul.

The Root of Beauty

THE EDGE OF TENDERNESS

THE BLUE SHAWL

The FarNear Journals

GYPSY BONES

Twitter

About Me

I'm a writer and observer of beauty in nature and people, a singer of praise and a dreamer who stares into both light and darkness hoping to see someday the Face of God.
My journey has led from the northern lakes, to a convent on the prairie, to lifelong education including a doctorate in ministry, to a vocation of midwifery of souls, to this place, Casa Chiara, where the light shines and John Sack and I join our lives, care for nature, pray and contemplate, study and write.
Published Works:
THE ROOT OF BEAUTY: A SPIRITUAL MEMOIR, THE EDGE OF TENDERNESS: A MEMOIR, THE BLUE SHAWL,THE FARNEAR JOURNALS, GYPSY BONES,
ALTAR MUSIC,
CIRCLE OF MYSTERIES,
WOMANCHRIST,
BLESSINGS,
FINDING STONE,
CARING COMMUNITY,
A CRY IN THE DESERT.
Los Angeles Times Best Novel of 2000 for ALTAR MUSIC.
Recipient of four prizes/commendations for CIRCLE OF MYSTERIES.